Boise Young Professionals (BYP)

Thursday, May 22, 2008

What questions do you have for Mayor Bieter? Now is your chance to voice your opinion on issues affecting you. Young professionals in the Boise area can attend an up-close and personal forum with Boise's Mayor to learn about the past, present, and future of the City of Trees. Looking for answers? Post your questions on this blog.

Mayor Bieter "Unplugged" will be held on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 at the Basque Center (601 W Grove St.) from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 5:15 and the event will begin at 6:00 p.m. The event is FREE to all BYP members and $15 for non-members.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

It’s Your ShipManagement Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the NavyBy Captain D. Michael Abrashoff

Ilya’s Review:

In the five years since this book has been published, many other business books have tried and failed to capture the true essence of leadership. Captain Abrashoff’s “It’s Your Ship” nails it perfectly for the ages and I strongly recommend this book for anyone at any stage of their career.

Abrashoff explores the finer points of leading and managing an organization while confronting rapid change. Furthermore he describes the highest point of all leadership: converting disinterested and average employees into Top Performers that consistently produce winning results. His strategies and approach are very powerful in today’s economy. Also, keep in mind these aren’t just words, he actually did it, Abrashoff shows the actions behind the message on how his team went from worst to first and then stayed at the top.

I found the book enjoyable to read and I appreciate the author’s willingness to share his personal growth over the course of his career. He candidly discussed overcoming some of his vulnerabilities and insecurities while becoming a top leader; its proof that top leaders should never stop learning about themselves and the team around them.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

For an artist with the domain name “steelsue.com”, Susan Latta is anything but cold and sterile like the metal from which she gets her moniker. In fact, with the attention she’s gotten from the Boise Weekly, Idaho Statesman, and a selection as one of the twenty five featured artists at this year’s Triennial, you might say her career is heating up.

Latta’s statement on her website tells the reader as much about her as it does her art. “Each piece seems to become what it wanted to be all along,” says Latta. “I am simply the tool that allows it to get there.”

With a perspective like that, it’s not surprising that Latta’s interest in art seems just as predestined. “I took a photography class in college,” says Latta. “The teacher looked at one of my photos and said ‘This is a photographer’s photograph’. That's all it took, I changed my major from psychology to art. And now many years later, artmaking is still something that I can't not do.”

Latta is mostly known for her mixed-media sculptures that include a myriad of different materials including resin, aluminum, rubber, and latex, just to name a few. Though she is a prolific sculptor, Latta does work in other mediums such as printmaking and photography. “I am at the beginning of the next phase of my career,” says Latta.

Like most artists in the area, Latta has seen a lot of change lately in Boise’s art scene, mentioning the Visual Arts Collective specifically as a boon for the city. “The VAC [features] artists who don’t necessarily get shown in mainstream galleries,” says Latta. “It is also a place where artists gather.”

However, again like many other local artists, Latta sees room for further change. “I would like to see more collectors,” says Latta. “Also, an audience that is more open to edgy work.”

Career or not, Latta is a true artist at heart, believing that arts in a community are what make the community interesting. “I make art for people to live with,” Latta says on her website. “To enrich their lives as a unique aesthetic experience.”

Talking with Latta, one gets the impression that, behind the imposing sculptures and molten alloys, she might be a closet Taoist. One thing is for sure, Latta’s success is anything but happenstance. Check out Latta’s art at the aforementioned http://www.steelsue.com/ or experience it in person at the Triennial this Tuesday at BYP’s Night at the Boise Art Museum.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

No animals will come alive next Tuesday, but the art might! Don't miss this chance to attend a private event at the Boise Art Museum on Tuesday, Sept 18 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. RSVP's are due by Tuesday, September 18 at noon. The museum will open just for BYP members and their guests for a cocktail reception with several top leaders in business and the arts.

Attendees will be able to enjoy a private viewing of the 2007 Idaho Trienniel exhibit, a statewide juried art exhibit that only occurs every 3 years. Leaders in the Boise community will discuss the importance of arts in a community, from both the business and the arts perspective.

Speakers include:

Joel Hickman - President of KeyBank Idaho

Michael Faison - Executive Director, Idaho Commission on the Arts

Wesley Jessup - Executive Director, Boise Art Museum

Cost is $15 BYP members/$25 for non-members and includes admission to the event and appetizers. A no-host bar will be available.According to Arts & Culture Chair, Larissa Lamson, "BYP has really outdone itself this time! BYP members don't want to miss this chance to meet such key people in our community, plus the chance to mingle with other BYP members in an awesome setting."

BYP is fortunate to have the support of the local business and arts community members. The BYP Night at Boise Art Museum is sponsored by KeyBank and hosted by the Boise Art Museum.

Art isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Idaho. In many forms art has existed somewhere in the Gem State’s subconscious for a while now, always present but not prominent. However, with recent efforts by the Boise Art Museum (BAM), Mayor David Bieter, the Boise City Arts Commission (BCAC), and local business owners, the local art scene is experiencing its own renaissance. On the heels of the unveiling and development of several major art installations is BAM’s Triennial, where artists from all over Idaho take center stage every three years.

Many of the artists selected for this year’s event call the Boise Metropolitan Area their home and have watched the area and its arts develop during the past decade. They have seen the impact of art on Boise and Boise on art, and why it is integral to a vibrant and livable community like this one. Leading up to the Triennial, you will find blurbs in your inboxes featuring local artists and their stories regarding Boise and art. Get to know the people who are influencing the way our area is seen across the nation and check out their art in person with other BYPers September 18.

Angela Katona-Batchelor

For someone whose career profile test suggested “forest logger”, Angela Katona-Batchelor has taken advantage of an art inclination from an early age. “I guess artist wasn’t an option on that test,” says Katona-Batchelor.

Katona-Batchelor has been involved in the Boise art scene for five years. She came to the City of Trees from Twin Falls, a move that she says shifted her concept of art and its boundaries. “I was accustomed to seeing traditional materials and subject matter and much of the work I was exposed to here didn’t fit into that category,” says Katona-Batchelor. “I think that the development of more alternative art spaces in Boise, like the Visual Arts Collective, only helps to educate the public about what is happening in the contemporary art scene.”

Still, Katona-Batchelor would like to see more public art pieces, because she feels it adds to the daily lives of those who are exposed to it. She believes the movement is heading in the right direction and sees the difficulties of introducing new concepts to an exisiting market. “Art is a hard sell … some art takes a long time to reach people and to develop an audience that will support it.”

Katona-Batchelor considers herself a mixed media artist and works in, among others, painting, drawing, sculpting, and printmaking to find the medium that best suits an idea conceptually. “I try not to be exclusive to any particular media simply for the sake of loyalty. To me, every medium has a specific language ascribed to it that can inform meaning,” says Katona-Batchelor.

The Boise art scene is happy to have her and glad she decided to pick up a pencil and a paintbrush instead of an ax. Katona-Batchelor has recently been viewed at the Visual Arts Collective and she will be one of the 25 artists whose work will be on display at the Triennial.

Monday, May 21, 2007

On Tuesday, May 22, 2007, if you live in Ada or Canyon County you will have an opportunity to vote on the proposed Community College of Southwest Idaho. As a young professional, why should you care about this special voting session? This question and many others were answered at the May 2 BYP Luncheon that featured the community college issue as its educational topic.

During the May 2 luncheon, BYP members and guests listened in as Nancy Vannorsdel, President & CEO of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce and Mike Reynoldson, Government Relations Manager for Micron Technology spoke about the importance of a community college in the Boise area. "Boise is the largest urban area in the country without a community college, " said Nancy Vannorsdel. She continued by stating the importance of having education and training opportunities in the area for the development of our local workforce and the attraction of companies with higher paying jobs.

A community college district in the Boise area would allow more students to attend college and continue their education. Increased job skills for our local workforce and available training for local employers are critical to the future success of the Boise area.

Many students cannot afford and some may not be ready to attend a four-year college or university. Boise State University, the largest college in the Boise area, turns away hundreds of students each year who hope to further their education.

Here are a few articles to read to increasing your understanding on the proposed Community College for Southwest Idaho:

Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 22. In order to pass, the community college requires a two thirds super majority. Exercise your right to vote and head out to your local polling station with your decision.

Monday, January 8, 2007

I am currently enrolled in the M.A. Organizational Leadership program at George Fox University and just began a new class called Ethical and Legal Responsibility. Our class professor, Chris Meade, Ph.D., posed the question "What moral qualities do you look for in other people as well as yourself?" I thought this would be a great question to post on the BYP Blog to hear your thoughts.

First of all, what is morality? My definition refers to acting, thinking, and doing the right thing. A few other definitions can be found online at Dictionary.com

So, what qualities do you look for in others and yourself in regard to morals? Personally, I respect others, and myself, more when doing the right thing is the hard choice to make. Consistently sticking to your "moral guns" can be difficult to accomplish, but when accomplished, it is something that I greatly respect in others and myself.

Some of the qualities I look for in others (and strive to live by myself) include:

Treats everyone with respect

Honest

Trustworthy

Compassionate/Forgiving

Puts others first

Many of the qualities, actions, and thoughts describing morality can be grouped into these five areas. Here are a few examples:

Ex: #1) You receive your paycheck and notice that you were paid an extra $1,721 more than usual (knowing that you didn't work overtime, get a bonus, or earn more commission). Do you report the difference to your accounting department/supervisor or do you let it go saying, "they made an error and it's not my job to correct them." The honest/trustworthy action would bring this up to the right person. This would be the morally right thing to do.

Ex: #2) You are having lunch with a potential new partner and he treats you like gold (or platinum if you will). You begin to think of him as a friendly, intelligent, and trustworthy new business partner. However, you begin to notice how he speaks rudely to his administrative staff on the phone during lunch and watch as he constantly verbally abuses the wait staff at the restaurant. How does this affect your judgement of this potential new business associate? Do you feel he is a morally sound individual? Would he treat you differently if you were not going to benefit him in some way? How will he treat others in your circle of influence, customers, and other people in contact with your business?

Ex: #3) You are working in a team to accomplish a goal and the group decides to move in a direction that produces tremendous results. A few weeks later your company's CEO asks you to report to the board on the progress of strategic direction of the group. Knowing you were part of a team where everyone contributed equally to the decisions and ideas of the successful new direction, you arrive at the meeting with two options for sharing the information: 1) You could try to make yourself look good and further your career by claiming all the credit for the group's decision, or 2) do the right thing and express the true movement of the group by stating the group has made excellent suggestions and give credit where credit is due...stressing the team's efforts. The obvious moral answer is option #2.

Are the examples given above legal matters? If you keep the money in example #1, are you breaking the law? Do they follow a rulebook or set code of principles? I believe not. However, all three of these examples seem easy to answer, but in everyday life the correct choice of action is not always followed.

Moral qualities are the unwritten law or code of ethics that you follow and expect to see in others. It seems that you recognize morality when you see it, as well as when you don't see it.